MANILA – The 165,000 shortage in classrooms is a glaring manifestation of the government’s prolonged and systemic neglect of the public education sector. 

This is the reaction of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-NCR Union after the Department of Education (DepEd) disclosed the country’s classroom deficit. The group said that the shortage is nearly three times the shortage reported 12 years ago. The public teachers’ union is demanding urgent, concrete action to address the crisis.

“This deepening classroom crisis exposes the long-standing abandonment of our teachers and learners by those in power. For years, we have called for sufficient funding and planning, yet our appeals continue to fall on deaf ears,” said Ruby Bernardo, ACT-NCR union president.

She added, “What’s disheartening is that as the shortage of classrooms continues to grow, teachers and students are suffering even more. This is one of the reasons why our students are not learning effectively. They are the ones directly affected by overcrowded classes, double or triple shifting, and inhumane teaching and learning conditions.”

Bernardo stressed that the rising classroom shortage is not merely a consequence of growing population, as suggested by Education Secretary Sonny Angara, “but a direct result of the state’s consistent prioritization of debt payments, military spending, and privatization schemes over basic social services.” 

She added that year after year, the national budget reveals the government’s skewed priorities. 

“Instead of upholding every Filipino child’s right to quality education, billions are funneled into military modernization and foreign debt payments—while classrooms deteriorate and teachers remain overworked and underpaid,” Bernardo said.

In 2024, a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) showed that the Philippines only allocated 3.6 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to education. The United Nations recommended that governments should spend at least six percent of their GDP on education.

The PIDS also saw a decline in government’s spending on education from P22,979 ($413) in 2017 to P19,942 ($357) per student in 2021, ranking among the lowest globally. 

Angara also said that the current budget of DepEd will not be able to meet the shortage. With this, the education secretary admitted that some public schools may again need to implement shifting of classes due to the lack of classrooms. 

The ACT-NCR Union also expressed strong opposition to the renewed push for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as a solution to the classroom gap.

“History has shown that PPPs merely open the door for profit-seeking corporations, leaving our schools vulnerable to private interests. What we need is direct, sufficient, and sustained public investment in education infrastructure—not band-aid solutions that benefit only a few,” Bernardo asserted.

They urged the government to “immediately tackle the pressing issues in the education sector by allocating sufficient funds for the construction and rehabilitation of public school classrooms and facilities.” 

The union called for an end to the government’s dependence on PPP in addressing shortages in the government and called for the direct channeling of public funds to strengthen the public education system. 

Furthermore, they highlighted the need for a just workload and improved working conditions for teachers, while also addressing the critical shortages in educators, learning materials, and other essential resources necessary for quality education.

“We urge the Filipino people to join us in holding the government accountable for this crisis. Every child deserves a safe, comfortable, and conducive classroom to learn in. Every teacher deserves humane working conditions. This is not just a demand—it is our right,” Bernardo concluded. (RTS, RVO)